Redeemer Announcements + Prayers of Intercession (July 9, 2021)

PARKED CAR WORSHIP at 10:30am on SUNDAY // Join us again this week in Redeemer’s Backyard for parked car worship at 10:30am. If you are unable to join us in person, we hope you’ll join the livestream through Facebook Live -- you do not need to login to a Facebook profile to view our livestreams! 

ECUMENICAL JOINT WATER SERVICE THIS SUNDAY AFTERNOON // The Ecumenical Water Initiative of the Minneapolis Area Synod is hosting a special Ecumenical Water Service in Redeemer’s backyard at 3pm this Sunday afternoon, July 11th, and we hope you will join us! This is a family-friendly community event at which we’ll share stories about water and watersheds in our lives. This is especially important as so much of our country faces drought amidst record heat waves, and as our Indigenous siblings across the state are currently protecting water sources in Northern Minnesota. We ask that you wear a mask to this event and bring your own chair or blanket if possible. Got questions? Contact Madeline Troyer at the Synod office!

WORSHIP + BLOCK PARTY at WESTWOOD NEXT WEDNESDAY // You’re invited to join us Wednesday, July 14th from 5-8:30pm for a special joint block party worship event with our partner congregation, Westwood Lutheran. We will gather at Westwood (9001 Cedar Lake Rd, St. Louis Park, MN 55426). Bring a meal for your own family and pop in for fellowship at 5pm; worship will begin at 6pm; and Block Party festivities including a performance by JUSTmove -- Joe Davis and Dave "Agape" Scherer -- will begin around 6:30pm. Kona Ice Truck will be their featured food truck, and there will be kids activities and more! Visit their event page or contact Pastor Peter for more info.

GRIEF & JOY THROUGH TRANSITION BIBLE STUDY BEGINS NEXT SUNDAY // Beginning Sunday, July 18th, Amy Koopman will be leading a bible study and conversations around grief and joy through seasons of transition. As Redeemer navigates our transition through both the pandemic and our pastoral interim, and as Amy navigates the ending of her time on staff at Redeemer and the beginning of pastoral internship, she will provide weekly Wednesday online meditations and Sunda morning discussions around the grief, fear, joy, and excitement inherent to transition through August 11th. We hope you’ll join us Sundays at 9:15am in the courtyard (weather permitting) for this intimate time of sharing and growth. More info to come!

BREEZE ONLINE DIRECTORY SMARTPHONE APP // Good news! Our church management software program, Breeze, is available as a smartphone app, making searching for other members and congregants easier than ever on your mobile devices. Search for the Breeze ChMS app in your device’s app store. When you log in the first time, it will ask for your congregation’s subdomain/ID, which is redeemermpls. Then you can use your same username and password to log in and find each other. If you have questions or need a Breeze login, email Amy and she’ll send you one!

FAMILY & CHILDREN EVENTS THIS SUMMER // Redeemer’s Edu-Youth Team invites families of Redeemer to some really cool events this summer! Check these out:  
   Wednesday, July 28th @ 6pm: Northside Parish Youth & Family Gathering -- Families are invited to bring a meal for their group and gather at Webber Park (4300 Webber Pkwy, Mpls 55412) where we’ll meet and eat with  other youth and families in our northside confirmation cohort from Salem Lutheran and Christ the River of Life. Confirmation is aimed for 6th-9th grade youth to grow in faith, create community, and build leadership for the church and the world! 
   August 23-27: Camp Noah -- Registration for Camp Noah is now open to kids rising to grades 1 to 6! Camp Noah is a nationally acclaimed resiliency and preparedness program that is fun, free, and highly recommended by past participants! Camp Noah will be held at Christ the River of Life from 9am to 3pm daily during the week of August 23-27. Reserve your spot now at www.campnoah.org or contact Pastor Deanna Kim for more information (612-234-5655 / crolpastor@gmail.com).
 
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED for PARKED CAR WORSHIP // Along with needing weekly lectors to read the week’s first and second readings and Psalm, we are also looking for volunteers to help with set-up each Sunday morning (arrive by 9:30am) and to learn how to run the sound system and livestream videography for when Dave and Amy are unavailable. Contact Amy or Pastor Peter to sign up and volunteer! 

CALL COMMITTEE UPDATE  // Kent here from the Redeemer Call Committee. As was noted in a recent update, we were ready to present a candidate to the church council at the end of May/early June, and then in the eleventh hour the candidate got an offer for a very unique opportunity. We were saddened that it didn't work out, and since then we have been working with the synod to recruit more candidates. We are committed to recommending a pastor to the church council, and although it has been a little longer than we had hoped, we are still moving forward and excited for what lies ahead. Please continue to pray for the call committee, we know God has someone for Redeemer!

SUMMER COOKOUTS ARE BACK! // You’re invited to this summer’s Backyard Cookouts from 5-7pm in Redeemer’s backyard! ECLC will host on Tuesday, July 27th; and Redeemer will host a pared-down version of our Block Party on Tuesday, August 24th. Tables will be set up, but feel free to bring your own chairs for social distancing. Masks and distancing are encouraged for those who aren’t eating and/or are unvaccinated! For more information, contact Mali! 

CHURCH STAFF OFFICE HOURS // Through the summer months, Pastor Peter and Amy will be in the church offices on Wednesdays from 1-4pm and Fridays from 10am-noon. Mondays will be their day off when offices are closed. If you need to stop by the church at any other time during the week, let Amy know and she can make arrangements to meet.

REDEEMER LUTHERAN CHURCH is HIRING! // Our beloved office coordinator Amy Koopman is moving on to her seminary internship as of August 13, 2021. We’d like to have our new coordinator in place by August 9, 2021. The Office Coordinator of Redeemer Lutheran Church is a part-time position (20 hours per week, ideally, 4 hours per day) whose chief responsibilities include representing the church as the first point-of-contact for phone, email, and in-person visitors; coordinating office responsibilities; and supporting relationships with church congregants, our ministry partners and our Harrison neighbors. Familiarity with gmail, google drive, canva, imovie (or similar filmmaking software), garageband (or similar audio manipulation software), microsoft and apple office platforms, and all social media platforms are important. Curiosity, flexibility and humor are vital! Please contact Pastor Peter Samuelson (612-259-8976) for more information.

TAKE MEANINGFUL ACTION for POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY & SYSTEMIC CHANGE // Now that we have a police accountability victory, let’s work toward true systemic change so that no more people are killed by police and no more police go to jail. One way to enact enduring systemic change is through legislative advocacy. We ask you to contact your state representative and senator to support the bills in the linked document. We all have “response-ability” for what happens next and advocacy does not take a lot of time. Please read, act, and pass this document widely through your contacts and ask those you know to do the same.
In the Spirit,
Redeemer Service+Advocacy and Outreach+Evangelism Ministers,    
Holly DeSouza, Sally Ankerfelt, Pastor Babette Chatman 

JOIN HANDS for the HARRISON NEIGHBORHOOD FOOD SHELF FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS at 10am // Evangelism & Outreach minister Pr. Sally Ankerfelt invites us to help our siblings in Christ at the church around the corner from Redeemer (MCCC at 4th & Newton) where you will make a huge difference in the lives of our Harrison neighbors. The bonus is that you will make new connections and friends and have fun in the process! And stay tuned for details about an ongoing collaboration for summer food distribution beginning when we’ll need 5-7 volunteers weekly at MCCC! 
 
THE HEALTH COMMONS is a drop-in health and wellness space here in North Minneapolis whose services are FREE and open to everyone. They offer Zumba classes every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday at 6pm. They also host book clubs and healing circles outdoors, along with Health Q & A's online (Facebook Live) or in person with social distancing. For more information and questions, visit their facebook page or contact our Community Liaisons: Bertha 763-843-9988 | Angela 651-529-6003
 
COVID-19 PREVENTION & VACCINES // The best protection from the various mutations of the COVID-19 virus—whether you are vaccinated or not—is to: 
-- stay 6 feet away from others in public spaces; 
-- wear a mask (or two) so that there is adequate filtration and a snug fit over the bridge of your nose, cheeks, and chin; and
-- wash your hands often and well. 
See the MN Department of Health COVID-19 site for more in-depth and current information about symptoms, testing, and vaccines. Minnesotans 16-years of age and older are eligible to be vaccinated.  Vaccine demand often exceeds the supply. MN Department of Health offers a vaccine locator site. You can also attempt to access vaccines through community pharmacies (Walgreens and CVS) or your healthcare provider. When you receive a vaccine appointment, be sure to dress appropriately so that your upper arm is easily accessible (for example, wear a short-sleeve t-shirt under your sweater/jacket). ​

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READINGS & GOSPEL:
Amos 7:7-15 | Psalm 85:8-13 | Ephesians 1:3-14 | Mark 6:14-29

Let us come before the triune God in prayer:

Holy parent, you welcome your people into one family and gather all things to yourself. Bestow your grace upon your beloved church, lavish your wisdom upon us, and redeem us from our faults, help us bear each others grief and burdens, that by our witness all might praise your glory. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Awesome Creator, you steadfastly tend to the smallest of seeds and the mightiest of sycamore trees. Spring up green growth from the earth, nourish the growth of fruit, grain, and other crops, and bless the work of farmers and laborers. Bring rain to refresh our earth and water the crops in this time of drought. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

God of the oppressed, turn the ears of those who are in power to the voices of prophets in our own day. Protect those who speak difficult truths when it is risky to do so. We thank you for the opportunity to be a part of the prophetic witness to your truth and love. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

God of strength, you are near to those who endure difficulty. Comfort all who are survivors of violence, guard the refugee and the immigrant, and protect all those who are victims of prejudice and discrimination. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

God of love, we pray for this holy house and all those who worship here. We pray especially for those whose efforts behind the scenes often go unnoticed; for the custodian(s) and maintenance workers, for our office staff, our musicians and those who help set up outdoor worship, and for all of our volunteers. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Here other intercessions may be offered.

We thank you, God, for the saints, martyrs, and prophets who have died in the faith. We remember those in this community who have recently died. United with them as God’s children, assure us that we are yours forever. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
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We lift our prayers to you, O God, trusting in your abiding grace.
Amen.
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